The procedural rule of statute of limitations provides the plaintiff a certain amount of time to bring in a lawsuit from the time the incident has occurred. In case of medical practice in New York, the patient has two and half years to start the case against the negligent doctor. However, there is a doctrine in the law called the continuous treatment rule. This rule will extend the time that the patient has for filing a medical malpractice lawsuit in New York, even when the statutes of limitation has expired. Hence, this rule tolls or extends the statutes of limitations.